A Champion for Charities
Heuston Legal represents non-profit organizations named as beneficiaries under a will or trust in Florida. As a champion for charities, we work to ensure that the charity receives what the donor intended.
Preserving Donor Intent
When an individual names a charity of their choosing in their will or trust, Heuston Legal ensures the donor’s wishes are honored. As an experienced trusts and estates attorney, Stephen Heuston will often serve as the Trustee of a trust or Executor for an estate when a charity is designated as a beneficiary, especially when the charity has been named the personal representative by decedents in their wills.
Defending Charitable Bequests
We diligently monitor and negotiate reasonable attorney, personal representative, and trustee fees in order to better preserve bequests to the named charities. Via the cy pres doctrine, we assure the legacy of the donor remains intact, and their planned giving stays on track without undue outside influence.
Modifying Charitable Trusts
Within the non-profit organizations named as beneficiaries, Heuston Legal partners with Finance Directors and other charity personnel to ensure no money is left on the table from the donors’ estate. We defend charitable bequests in contested wills and trusts. We will also judicially terminate or modify philanthropic trusts that no longer function according to the donor’s original intent.